Body adjusting to new diet?

Fantasyfan882017

Hi I have recently started logging again as my diet was out of control and I was eating too much junk food and I badly have to lose weight. I have IBS and since changing my diet and increasing my fibre intake I have been having toilet trouble and really bad stomach pains.

Has anyone else had this when they drastically changed their diet? If so how long did it last and do you have any advice that will help such as what you took or ate that helped ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated x

chulipa

How much fiber are you eating now? and how much where you eating? It may take a bit for your stomach to get use to more fiber and make sure your drinking enough liquids.

L1zardQueen

Do you get enough fat, vegetables and water in your day?

cgrout78

are you increasing proteins as well as fiber? I know the first couple weeks after I increased them I was so bloated and icky feeling. I was suggested papaya enzyme or any other digestive enzyme, papaya was just cheap. Helps break down faster. Also increased water for sure.

AnnPT77

You may have special problems because of the IBS. If so, you might ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietician (RD) for help. (A "nutritionist" is not necessarily the same thing as an RD. An RD has degrees and certifications/licensing; in some places, a nutritionist can just be someone who decides to call him/herself one.)

Generally, when people increase fiber, it's a good idea to increase it gradually, make sure one is drinking enough water, and get enough fats in one's diet (this last is often the problem with people who are trying to cut calories). Some people find it helpful to add probiotic foods (yogurt, kefir, raw unpasteurized sauerkraut or pickles, miso, kombucha, etc.), and/or to get exercise (for some, especially exercise that involves moving the center of the body - bending, twisting, etc.).

Editing to add: I was diagnosed with IBS/C a few years back. I made most of the changes above, and no longer have symptoms on any regular basis - very infrequent/rare to have any. For me, water and exercise were probably the biggest positive contributors, but that's because those were the main aspects where my previous habits were not very helpful.

passenger79

Fibre messes me right up even though I had masses of Dr's telling me I need to eat high fibre . I had IBS for about 6 years and I found out it's highly individual.
Brown wholemeal bread bothers me but white bread doesn't same with brown /wild rice .

I eat moderate fibre and when I start taking more than usual I end up with terrible cramps . Every single time , no matter how long I give it .And there's a big difference between soluble and insoluble fibre .

Everything in moderation. I often had flare ups from eating too much raw veg but nothing from "junk " food as you call it .

I would suggest to cut down on intake and do a food diary to see what triggers flare ups.



Good luck !

kshama2001

When my Mom's IBS flares up she is helped by eating soluble fiber first in a meal, followed by insoluble fiber. (So, salads or insoluble fibrous veggies last in a meal.)

Here are some fiber/IBS tips: http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber2.asp

nettiklive

I have IBS-C and strongly suspect gastroparesis though have not been tested for it but all symptoms fit, and I cannot do insoluble fiber. Raw veggies and most fruit give me terrible pains, bloating and gas, as does protein in most forms except yogurt, which has been a struggle trying to increase it. I really do the best with digestion with all the 'wrong', refined carb foods, these don't bother me at all but getting nutrients is hard. I do much better with cooked veggies like baked sweet potatoes, applesauce or baked apples instead of raw, etc.

GottaBurnEmAll

I have IBS-D and do best with cooked vegetables and went through an elimination protocol with my doctor and found certain trigger veggies that are best avoided altogether. Unfortunately, some of them were my favorites. There are some veggies I can eat raw, but not many.

At any rate, the advice to gradually increase fiber is good advice and you might want to slowly introduce new foods in case certain foods are trigger foods for you.

sollyn23l2

passenger79 wrote: »

Fibre messes me right up even though I had masses of Dr's telling me I need to eat high fibre . I had IBS for about 6 years and I found out it's highly individual.
Brown wholemeal bread bothers me but white bread doesn't same with brown /wild rice .

I eat moderate fibre and when I start taking more than usual I end up with terrible cramps . Every single time , no matter how long I give it .And there's a big difference between soluble and insoluble fibre .

Everything in moderation. I often had flare ups from eating too much raw veg but nothing from "junk " food as you call it .

I would suggest to cut down on intake and do a food diary to see what triggers flare ups.



Good luck !

Couldn't agree more! My experience has been very similar.

kommodevaran

I have to limit intake of raw vegetables myself, and I don't even have IBS (that I know of). I don't think it's more to it than that, and nothing you can "take" - you just have to not go from one extreme to another.

acorsaut89

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

I have IBS-D and do best with cooked vegetables and went through an elimination protocol with my doctor and found certain trigger veggies that are best avoided altogether. Unfortunately, some of them were my favorites. There are some veggies I can eat raw, but not many.

At any rate, the advice to gradually increase fiber is good advice and you might want to slowly introduce new foods in case certain foods are trigger foods for you.

I also have IBS-D, and same raw veggies definitely cause me a lot of pain and bathroom troubles. Other things that I struggle with are foods with high fat content - avocados, oils, nuts, etc. Even though they are nutritionally sound I really have to watch my intake of those foods and generally eat them with other foods (doesn't seem to matter which foods, just as long as they are not digesting by themselves). I can eat peppers, carrots, cucumbers raw but veggies like broccoli or cauliflower really do a number on my tummy (and other parts lol) if they aren't cooked.

I agree that gradually introducing items/foods into your diet is best for those with IBS rather than doing a complete overhaul. Many of us tend to want an all or nothing approach but when we have tummy troubles that isn't always the best option. Definitely slow progress has worked for me rather than an all or nothing approach which my type-A personality really, really fights but being comfortable and not spending a large portion of my day near a bathroom is worth it for me.

GottaBurnEmAll

acorsaut89 wrote: »

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

I have IBS-D and do best with cooked vegetables and went through an elimination protocol with my doctor and found certain trigger veggies that are best avoided altogether. Unfortunately, some of them were my favorites. There are some veggies I can eat raw, but not many.

At any rate, the advice to gradually increase fiber is good advice and you might want to slowly introduce new foods in case certain foods are trigger foods for you.

I also have IBS-D, and same raw veggies definitely cause me a lot of pain and bathroom troubles. Other things that I struggle with are foods with high fat content - avocados, oils, nuts, etc. Even though they are nutritionally sound I really have to watch my intake of those foods and generally eat them with other foods (doesn't seem to matter which foods, just as long as they are not digesting by themselves). I can eat peppers, carrots, cucumbers raw but veggies like broccoli or cauliflower really do a number on my tummy (and other parts lol) if they aren't cooked.

I agree that gradually introducing items/foods into your diet is best for those with IBS rather than doing a complete overhaul. Many of us tend to want an all or nothing approach but when we have tummy troubles that isn't always the best option. Definitely slow progress has worked for me rather than an all or nothing approach which my type-A personality really, really fights but being comfortable and not spending a large portion of my day near a bathroom is worth it for me.

Fats kill me. Absolutely kill me. I was eating avocados for a while there and doing well, but then they were an absolute nightmare for me, even with other food. I do find it hard to balance fat intake with enough for satiety and skin/nail health and my IBS. I think I've found a sweet spot.

I cannot eat cruciferous vegetables at all, even cooked, and I love them so much. Broccoli and cauliflower used to be favorites.

I might try sauerkraut, given that it's pro-biotic, but I'm skeptical. I didn't try it when we did the elimination trial.